Deoxidizing aluminum bar

ABSTRACT

Each of two aluminum bar sections has a pair of laterally spaced parallel side members with inner surfaces facing the inner surfaces of the other pair, and a pair of loop members disposed side by side in the space between the side members. One loop member has ends integral with the side members of one bar section and projects from the outer faces of the other pair of side members. The other loop member has ends integral with the side members of the other bar section and projects from the outer faces of the side members of the first section, whereby the loop members form recesses opening laterally in opposite directions and disposed end to end to lock the two bar sections together when a rod is inserted lengthwise into the recesses.

United States Patent [19] Mitchell et al.

[451 Apr. 30, 1974 1 DEOXIDIZING ALUMINUM BAR [76] Inventors: NicholasC. Mitchell, 996 Balmoral Dr., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15237; Joseph Perri, l0Dendron Dr., Coraopolis, Pa. 15108 [22] Filed: Feb. 7, 1973 [21] Appl.No.: 330,322

[52] US. Cl. 29/187 [51] Int. Cl. B2lc l/00 [58] Field of Search403/364, 384; 29/187 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 283,6518/1883 Palmer 29/526 X 2,165,221 7/1939 Burton 403/384 X 2,497,5232/1950 I Wark entin 403/364 X qfy ExaminerA. B. Curtis [57] ABSTRACTEach of two aluminum bar sections has a pair of laterally spacedparallel side members with inner surfaces facing the inner surfaces ofthe other pair, and a pair of loop members disposed side by side in thespace between the side members. One loop member has ends integral withthe side members of one bar section and projects from the outer faces ofthe other pair of side members. The other loop member has ends integralwith the side members of the other bar section and projects from theouter faces of the side members of the first section, whereby the loopmembers form recesses opening laterally in opposite directions anddisposed end to end to lock the two bar sections together when a rod isinserted lengthwise into the recesses.

PATENTEDAFR 30 1974 'sHEEi 1 gr 2 d Hllll PATENTEDAPRBO 1914 WHEN? lDEOXIDIZING ALUMINUM BAR In the making of stainless steel, aluminum isused for deoxidizing the melt. Notched bars can be thrown into the ladleduring pouring of the steel from an electric furnace, or an aluminum barmounted on the end of a rod may be moved back and forth through themolten steel in the furnace until the bar dissolves. The bars that areused on rods are cast bars generally having a central cylindricalportion, from which a pair of side members or wings extend radially inopposite directions. Casting such a bar with a passage through itscylindrical portion for a supporting rod requires a mold with a core,which makes production of the bars more difficult and expensive than isdesired.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a deoxidizingaluminum bar which can be cast more cheaply than those used heretoforeon rods, which can easily be made in a variety of shapes, and which alsois suitable for use independently of a rod by being thrown into ladlereceiving stainless steel.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a side view of our deoxidizingbar mounted on the lower end of a supporting rod;

FIG. 2 is a horizontalsection taken on the line IIll of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the two-part bar; and

FIG. 4 is a reduced side view of a mold, shown partly in section, inwhich one of the bar sections has been cast.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and2 of the drawings, a cast aluminum two-part bar1 is shown mounted on a rod 2, by which the bar can be stirred around inmolten steel in an electric furnace in which stainless steel is beingmade. The steel, in meltingthe aluminum bar, will be deoxidized. The twoparts or bar sections that form the bar are shown as being identical,although as will be pointed out later, they do not need to be. Each barsection is formed from a pair of laterally spaced parallel side membersor wings 3 integrally connected by loop members 4 between them. Althoughone loop member could be used, it is preferred to use two. More than twoare unnecessary. The two wings preferably lie in a common plane, butthey could be inclined relative to each other. The loop members havetheir ends in the space between the wings, with which they are integral.The loop members project from what will be called the inner faces of theside members and are spaced apart a distance equal to the width of aloop.

As shown in FIG. 4, the bar section is cast in a permanent steel mold 8.The recesses 9 'in the loop members are formed by a straight bar 10resting in notches 11 in opposite sides of the mold. The bottom ofthisbar is curved transversely and the notches are shapedcorrespondingly. The loop members are shown as being arcuate, with theportions that project from thebottom of the side members semi-circular.Although this shape of loop member is preferred, it could take anangular form is desired. After a bar section has been cast in the moldit is a simple matter to remove it by merely lifting the bar 10 fromnotches 11 so that the mold can be invetted, allowing the cast barsection to fall free from the mold. There is no sand core that has to beextracted.

All of the bar sections are made the same but, as shown in FIG. 3,before they are assembled one of them is turned bottom-side up relativeto the other and reversed so that the loop members of one bar sectionwill be staggered relative to those of the other section, as alsoindicated in FIG. l. The two sections are then assembled by moving themtogether to cause a loop of each section to be straddled by the twoloops of the other section, and to bring the inner faces of the twopairs of wings into flat engagement with one another. By locating oneloop member of each bar section at one end of the space between itswings and by making the wings wide enough so that the other loop will bespaced from the other end of the space between the wings a distanceequal to the width of a loop, the two pairs of loop members willalternate relative to each other when the two bar sections are assembledand will not extend beyond the upper and lower edges of the wings whenthe bar is in the position shown in FIG. 1.

Assembly of the two bar sections results in the loops of each of themprojecting from the outer faces of the wings of the other, as shown inFIG. 2, with their recesses 9 opening laterally in opposite directionsand disposed end to end. When the rod 2 is inserted endwise throughthese recesses the two bar sections are locked together by it as shownin FIG. 1. To prevent the loop members from melting away before the sidemembers are consumed and thereby releasing the side members from thesupporting rod, the thickness of each loop member should be at least asgreat as the thickness of a side member and preferably greater.

If desired, the side members of one bar section may extend away from itsloops a different distance than those of the other section. Or, the sidemembers may be narrow bars, just wide enough to connect the pair of loopmembers between them. In such a case the deoxidizing bar will consistprincipally of the loop members. In some instances it may not bedesirable to mount the bar sections on a rod at all. In that case theycan be used in the manner that notched deoxidizing bars have beenemployed in the past. That is, the bar sections will not be assembled ona rod but will be merely dropped into a ladle of molten steel todeoxidize it.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explainedthe principle of our invention and have illustrated and described whatwe now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire tohave it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustratedand described.

,We claim:

1. A deoxidizing aluminum bar comprising a pair of aluminum barsections, each section having a pair of laterally spaced parallel sidemembers with inner surfaces facing the inner surfaces of the other pair,and a pair of loop members disposed side by side in the space betweensaid side members, one loop member having ends in said space integralwith the side members of one of said bar sections, said loop memberprojecting from the outer faces of the other pair of side members, andthe other loop member having ends in said space integral with the sidemembers of the other bar section, said other loop member projecting fromthe outer faces of said side members of said one section, and said loopmembers forming recesses opening laterally in opposite directions anddisposed end to end, and a rod inserted lengthwise into said recesseswhereby said two bar sections are locked together to form said bar.

2. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 1, including a secondpair of said loop members integral with said side members in the samemanner as the first pair of loop members, the two loop members joined toone pair of said side members alternating with the other two loopmembers.

3. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 1, in which said innerfaces of one pair of said side members engage the inner faces of theother pair.

4. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 3, in which said innerfaces of the side members are flat.

5. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 1, in which said sidemembers are flat plates.

6. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 1,

in which the thickness of each loop member is at least as great as thethickness of said side members.

7. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 1, in which said loopmembers are U-shape and the inner walls of said recesses are arcuate.

8. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 2, in which said sidemembers are flat plates.

9. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 8, in which said loopmembers are U-shape and the inner walls of said recesses are arcuate,and the thickness of each loop member is at least as great as that ofsaid plates.

10. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 9, in which said sidemembers are flat plates with the plates of each bar section disposedflat against the plates of the other bar section.

2. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 1, including a secondpair of said loop members integral with said side members in the samemanner as the first pair of loop members, the two loop members joined toone pair of said side members alternating with the other two loopmembers.
 3. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 1, in whichsaid inner faces of one pair of said side members engage the inner facesof the other pair.
 4. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 3,in which said inner faces of the side members are flat.
 5. A deoxidizingaluminum bar according to claim 1, in which said side members are flatplates.
 6. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 1, in which thethickness of each loop member is at least as great as the thickness ofsaid side members.
 7. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim 1,in which said loop members are U-shape and the inner walls of saidrecesses are arcuate.
 8. A deoxidizing aluminum bar according to claim2, in which said side members are flat plates.
 9. A deoxidizing aluminumbar according to claim 8, in which said loop members are U-shape and theinner walls of said recesses are arcuate, and the thickness of each loopmember is at least as great as that of said plates.
 10. A deoxidizingaluminum bar according to claim 9, in which said side members are flatplates with the plates of each bar section disposed flat against theplates of the other bar section.